Something to watch out for in the summer is the Black Widow. Working in the back yard yesterday, moving some concrete blocks around I found a few of these guys! We see them here every single year. The suckers will make you sick...very sick. Try to keep all vegetation and mulch 18" away from the foundation of your home. Trim branches and shrubs away from your home to prevent spiders from using them as a path to your home. Seal any cracks or crevices where spiders may enter your house. Between the mountains here, we see them regularly. Be careful around damp and dark spots around your property....wear gloves if you are reaching around and working in these areas. Just a reminder. http://animals.nationalgeographic.co...ow-spider.html
Venom Black widow venom is primarily a neurotoxin, which as a rule does not cause local tissue death and destruction. Best known for widespread muscle spasm and often mimics that of a severe abdominal problem i.e. acute appendicitis, or ruptured ovarian cyst. The initial bite is very painful, but can go unnoticed. The <ins style="display: inline-table; border: medium none; height: 280px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 336px;"><ins id="aswift_1_anchor" style="display: block; border: medium none; height: 280px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 336px;"></ins></ins> surface of the skin may display two red bite wounds, one, or none. The worst pain is in the first 8-12 hours, symptoms may continue for several days. All children, pregnant women and individuals with hypertension should be admitted to a hospital. Antivenom is available. Outdoor treatment for Black Widow bites: Clean and irrigate the wound. Application of ice or cool compresses. Pain medication, muscle relaxants if available. Transport immediately. Mature Black Widow Above Photos by Wayne Talley, North of Dallas, TX Immature Black Widow Below Captured by Launa McCray, R.N. Photos by Dan Williams Psy. D., PA-C Black widow bite symptoms Initially, almost all bites from the latrodectus species is felt as an immediate pinprick sensation, and local pain. In approximately one hour after the bite, a small, erythematous area develops. This becomes larger with a blanched center. The venom acts through a calcium-mediated mechanism, which is the release of acetylcholine and nor-epinephrine. Subsequently , the vast majority of patients, around 70%, do experience hypertension, nausea, light sensitivity to the eyes, which is called photophobia, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, and muscle spasms and aches. These individuals can present like an acute abdomen, and mimic a ruptured ovarian cyst or appendicitis. In one study in Australia, however, around 70% of the individuals only presented with local symptoms and did not present with systemic symptoms. Treatment Intravenous narcotics for pain, and the benzodiazepines help tremendously. In the past, calcium gluconate infusion was thought to be helpful. However, it is not recommended any longer. Anti-venom against the latrodectus species is available by Merck and Company. Advise only to use in severe cases. You need to weigh using the anti-venom vs. the presentation of the patient. It is also important to dilute the anti-venom. Please see Merck and Company handout with the latrodectus anti-venom for dilution.
Widows love dark damp places. Cement blocks, holes in bricks, steel, wood piles are all great hiding places. A brick mason bud has been bitten numerous times from them hiding in his bricks. My first cousin nearly died from numerous bites on his side while sleeping. Dangerous as they are the Brown Recluse is nastier. It will "rot" away flesh around the site and give you chronic symptoms that last for years. Best to avoid putting hands where you cannot see and wear gloves when working with the above.
They are fairly common here; one of their favorite spots is between the downspouts and the foundation.
Witch doctor, LOL--back when outside privies were common the most bitten places were those things that dangle when sitting on the "throne". My Grandfather was bitten there when he was a young man.
We found some in the wood pile where we were cutting last fall up by our barn, not good. One of our sons was bitten when he was 18 months old back in 1980. Poor little boy was so sick took over 6 weeks to get hm well.
